Lexington, KY - Whether you are a Kentuckian by birth or by choice, the Bluegrass is a good place to live and conduct business. That's the word from four local business owners of international origin who were recently asked, "Why do you live in Lexington?"
Rory Harris, TGS Media, www.TunnellingJournal.com
Raised in Birmingham, England, by Irish parents, Rory Harris is a geologist by education and trade. In 1990, he moved to Kentucky to become vice president of what was soon renamed Fosroc Inc, a global company supplying the underground mining and tunneling industries. He was named CEO by 1998. A few years later, he participated in a management buyout of the business and renamed it Minova. Retiring in 2008, he co-founded TGS Media, which publishes Tunnelling Journal, a trade magazine with virtual offices.
"Like many businesses employing highly qualified and mobile employees, quality of life is very important," said Harris. "I would not be involved in this business if I could not have continued to live in Lexington. I visit Britain and Ireland several times a year, but each time I return to Lexington, I am immediately aware that the pace here is much more genteel."
Harris likes the four distinct seasons, the down-to-earth approach of business owners, the logistics of interstates and ease of Blue Grass Airport, and the wide range of schooling options. "It's a great place to bring up children," he said. "The quality of life in Lexington is very hard to beat."
Susan Sadr, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, fa.ml.com/Susan_Sadr
A wealth management advisor and chartered retirement planning counselor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Susan Sadr was born in Tehran and moved to Kentucky as a teenager in 1975 to pursue a college education. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from UK.
"I wanted to work for the United Nations and become an advocate for human rights," she said. "Instead, life had other plans for me, and I ended up being able to help people build a safe and secure financial future for themselves, their families, their business and their favorite charitable organizations."
Sadr calls Lexington a picture-perfect postcard, a small city with a big loving heart and a great environment to raise a family.
"Lexington is as diverse in population as any other major city in the U.S.A.," she said. "Lexington has a group of successful, diverse business owners and intellectuals involved in academia and research. I have clients with backgrounds from at least eight different countries, and they all call Lexington their home."
She likes Lexington's appreciation for art, music, performance, sports and education.
"It also has an appetite to celebrate and preserve diversity within its society," she said.
Irma Miller, MBA, CPA, www.IrmaMillerCPA.com
Born in Surabaya, Indonesia, Irma Miller received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Surabaya's Airlangga University and worked at a multinational company in Jakarta. As the finance and accounting supervisor, her division handled business with international franchisors. "I finally made a decision to move to Lexington to pursue an MBA degree at UK in the fall of 1997," she said. "The first thing that comes to my mind about living in the Bluegrass is the green view. I love Lexington as a safe, peaceful environment for education and raising children. I started learning about horses, horse farms, and legal and accounting issues concerning horse farms. During the two years of pursuing my education, I worked at a residential contractor business where I met my husband, a native Kentuckian. We married in 2001. We have two beautiful girls."
"After almost 13 years of residency in Lexington, I feel comfortable with this city," Miller said. "This is where we live, raise our children and engage in business with people that we have known for a while."
Mamadou SavanÈ, Sav's Grill, www.SavsGrill.com
Born in Guinea, West Africa, Mamadou SavanÈ moved to Lexington in 1993, where he learned to speak English in a class at UK. He spent seven years at the Hyatt Regency busing tables and as a bellhop and valet. He also worked for most of the last decade as a sorter at UPS. On Sept. 24, 2008, he opened Sav's Grill on South Limestone, serving West African comfort food.
"The idea rolled in my head for 10 years, and I finally said to myself, this is the time to decide: Are you going to do work for yourself or stay at UPS the rest of your life? So I picked the first option," he said.
SavanÈ looked for partners but found no one willing to participate in his restaurant idea.
"I said to my wife, 'Do you trust me?' She said, 'Yes.' I decided to do it by myself," SavanÈ said. "I'm glad I did, actually. I'm glad I don't have any partners."
SavanÈ has seen a lot of changes in the town from 1993 to the present, "which to me are all positive," he said. "Lexington is a good place to raise children. I'm very pleased to be part of this community."
Kathie Stamps posts grammar tips at www.facebook.stampscommunications.com.